Attachment for hay-racks.



L. ARNOLD. ATTACHIVIENT FOR HAY RACKS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 18. I916.

Patented Feb. 6, 1917 b I Elwwutoz X i 8 LHWRENCE HRNoLo barren saraa as Parana ai men.

LAWRENCE ARNOLD, OF DEER PLAIN, ILLINOIS;-

ATTACHMENT FOR HAY-RACKS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Fatented Feb. 6, 1917.

Application filed March 18, 1916. Serial No. 85,183.

, verted into a suitable wagon body or rack for transporting hogs or other live stock.

It is a more particular object to provide a device for the above purpose, consisting of bracket members adaptedto be secured to the longitudinal sill bars of the wagon frame, a supporting bar provided with a pivoted bracing arm adapted to be mounted in one position upon the bracket and detachably connected therewith to support a running board extending over the vehicle wheels, said bar and the brace arm being also adapted to be mounted upon the bracket in another position to provide stakes or standards for supporting the side boards of a wagon body.

It is a further general object of the invention to provide a device of the above character which is exceedingly strong and durable in its construction, highly serviceable and convenient in practical use, and may be easily and quickly arranged in either of its applied positions for the intended purpose.

With the above and other objects in view, my invention consists in the novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more fully described, claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which,

Figure 1 is a transverse sectional view through one'side of a hay rack showing the preferred embodiment of my invention applied thereto; Fig. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal section through'the upper end of the bracket; Fig. 3 is a similar view through the lower end of the bracket; Fig. 4: is a side elevation, partly in section, showing the arrangement of the supporting bar and its pivoted arm when the same are used as a stake or standard to support the side boards of a wagon body; and Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of the adjustable supporting bar and its bracing arm;

Referring in detail to the drawing, 5 designates generally a bracket casting which is of channel-shaoed form in cross-section and is provided with integral, laterally projecting apertured ears 6 to receive suitable attaching bolts indicated at 7, whereby the bracket may be rigidly secured upon the longitudinal sill bar S of avehicle frame. It will be understood that these brackets are arranged upon the outer sides of the sill bars at the opposite ends of the wagon or vehicle and the upper ends of said brackets extend 1 slightly above the sill bars. At their lower ends, the brackets are fixed by means of the bolts 8 to the transverse beams B which connect the sill bars S.

It will be observed that the upper end of the bracket casting gradually increases in width, and between the side walls thereof the vertical web 9 is formed, said web at its upper end terminating in spaced relation to the upper edges of the bracket walls. A block 10 is also cast integrally with the side vwalls of the bracket outwardly of the web 7 and, in spaced relation thereto, and this block is provided upon its upper face with a J-shaped rib 11. The parallel walls of the bracket at their upper ends are each provided with spaced bolt receiving openings indicated at 12 and 13 respectively, for a purpose to be later referred to.

The lower end or base wall of the bracket casting between the side walls thereof, is

' relatively thick, and such thickened portion is recessed to form a shoulder 14 therein. A bolt receiving opening 15 is also provided in each side wall of the bracket immediately above this shoulder.

A supporting arm or bar 16 of general shallow channel-shaped form is provided upon one end with a rectangular longitudi nally extended shank 17, said shank having a reduced terminal projectlon 18 and a V-shaped notch or recess 19 in one edge thereof and adjacent to its inner end. A bolt receiving opening 20 is also formed in the inner end of said shank. Upon the other end of the arm 16, spaced knuckles 21 are formed, between which the single knuckle 23 on the bracing arm 22 is engaged. These knuckles are apertured to receive a pivot pin or pintle 2d. The arm 22 is relatively narrow. and also preferably of channelshaped form, and this arm is provided upon its opposite sides with the spaced shoulders indicated at 25. The end face of the arm 22 is provided with a notch 26.

As shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing, the supporting bar 16 is adapted to be arranged upon the casting in a horizontal position, the shank 17 being fitted between the side walls of the bracket casting. The central intermediate wall of the casting has an opening 27 formed therein to receive the terminal extension 18 upon the shank. When the arm is disposed in a horizontal position, the rib 11 on the block 10 is received in the V-shaped notch 19 in the lower edge of the shank 17 A bolt, indicated at 2 8, is then inserted through the openings 13 in the side walls of the bracket and through the opening 20 which coincides therewith, thus securely holding the bar 16 in its horizontal position. When the bar is arranged upon the bracket before being bolted thereto, the free end of the brace arm 22 is inserted between the lower ends of the side walls of the bracket and the notch 26 in saidarm engaged upon the shoulder 14. A bolt, indicated at 29, is inserted through the openings 15 immediately above this end of the brace arm so that it cannot move vertically off of the shoulder 14:. The bar 16 is provided with suitable bolt recelving openings and the running board, indicated at R, is adapted to be securely bolted to these outwardly extending horizontal arms at the opposite ends of'the vehicle, said board extending over the vehicle wheels. Thus, the hay rack may be loaded to a manmum capacity, and the supporting bar 16 being securely braced will sustain the load.

When it is desired to use the attachment for the purpose of converting the hay rack into a hog pen or rack such as used 1n transporting hogs or other domestic stock from place to place, the bar 16 is arranged in the bracket casting as shown in Fig. i'of the drawing. In this position of the bar, it will be observed that the same is vertlcally disposed and the shank 17 is inserted downwardly between the web 9 and the intermediate wall of the bracket casting, the square shoulder 17 at the inner end of the shank 17 resting upon the upper edges of the side walls of the bracket. The bolt 28 is now inserted through the openings 12 and the opening 20 to securely hold the vertically disposed bar or standard in place. In this position of the bar 16, the same serves as a support for the side boards of the wagon body and the brace arm 22 is also raised to a vertical position in alinement with the bar 16. Additional side boards provided with stake irons or loops are then slipped over the brace arm 22 and rest upon the shoulders 25 thereon. It will be understood, of course, that the end bars or gates arranged between the side boards sustain the arms 22 in their upright positions. Thus, it will be seen that a hog pen or rack of considerable depth is obtained.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, the construction, manner of use and several advantages of my vehicle attachment will be clearly and fully understood. The device may be readily applied to the ordinary form of vehicle used for transportation purposes without necessitating any alterations therein. The several parts of the in vention are of exceedingly simple form and may be manufactured at relatively small cost.

While I have shown and described the preferred construction and arrangement of the several elements, it is to be understood that the same are susceptible of considerable modification and I, therefore, reserve the privilege of adopting all such legitimate changes as may be fairly embodied within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

Having thus fully described my inven tion, what I desire to claim and secure by Letters Patent is I. A vehicle attachment of the character described including a channeled bracket adapted to be secured'to the longitudinal sill of the vehicle frame, the side walls of said bracket having spaced bolt receiving openings and a vertical web connecting said side walls between the spaced openings,

a supporting bar having a reduced shank on one end and shoulders at the inner end of said shank, said reduced end of the bar being adapted for engagement between said weband the opposed wall of the bracket when the bar is vertically disposed and having an opening therein to coincide with the corresponding openings in the wall of the bracket to receive a suitable fastening bolt, said bar when disposed in a horizontal position being'engaged between the side walls of the bracket and resting upon the upper end of said web and the opening therein coinciding with the other bolt receiving openings in the bracket walls to receive the fastening bolt. 7

2. A vehicle attachment of the character described including a channeled bracket adapted to be secured to the longitudinal sill of the vehicle frame, the side walls of the bracket having spaced bolt receiving openings and a vertical web integrally connecting said walls between the openings, the intermediate wall of the bracket having an opening therein at its upper end, a supporting bar having a reduced shank on one end provided with a bolt receiving opening, said shank being adapted to be vertically disposed between the web and the intermediate wall of the bracket, said opening alined with the corresponding bolt receiv ing openings in the bracket Walls to receive a suitable-fastening bolt, said supporting bar being also adapted for arrangement in a horizontal position and the reduced shank disposed between the spaced bracket Walls and upon the upper end of the Web, the opening in said shank being alined with the other bolt receiving openings in the bracket Walls to receive the fastening bolt and said shank having a terminal projecsignature in the presence of two Witnesses. 15

LAWRENCE ARNOLD.

Witnesses Jos. T. MENKE, H. F. KEELY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). O. 

